Chapter 9

I should have seen this coming. Of course one of the hottest—one of the handsomest—internet celebrities would want one of the hottest stylists. Not just by reputation, but physically as well.

I wouldn’t have even come here if Lily hadn’t gone through all this trouble to get me an interview. She was my friend, after all. I couldn’t let her effort go to waste.

But there had to be a reason why Lily had gone through all that effort. It couldn’t just be because she was my best friend. That certainly wasn’t the reason why she had me style her hair and makeup every time she went to a party.

Then it hit me.

“You’re friends with Lily, right?” I asked.

Arthur rolled his eyes. “Yes, that’s why I agreed to this charade in the first place.”

“You’ve been to parties with her, then?”

“Of course.”

“And what do you think of her hair and makeup?”

His Cupid’s bow lips quirked into a little smile. “They’re always utter perfection.”

I smirked and lifted my chin defiantly. “Who do you think does her hair and makeup?”

His smile slackened. “You’re not talking about yourself, are you?”

“Who else?” I motioned to myself. “And look at me.”

“What about you?”

“Other than being fat, do you see any flaw in how I’ve made myself up today?”

His eyes roved over me. The gaze felt much different from when Peter so often did it. Calculating and judgmental, rather than lewd and cringeworthy.

It didn’t mean I was any more comfortable with it. Still, I would take his inspection if it meant that I could make my argument.

“No,” he finally gave his verdict, “not particularly.”

“I have spent the last eight years taking care of others. That includes styling them. My ex’s family even owns a cosmetics company, Outer U.”

It didn’t hurt to name-drop, I supposed.

“If there’s one thing I can guarantee, you will be in good hands with me.”

Arthur looked me over again. This time, I thought I could feel a little appreciation and respect along with the calculation and judgment.

“Very well. You get one chance.”

My heart fluttered.

“Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Stardust.”

“Call me Arthur. I’ll give you ten minutes to prepare yourself.”

• * *

“Lily, I don’t know about this,” I whispered as we videochatted outside Arthur’s office.

“Come on, you’ve done this a million times,” Lily said as quietly. “Just play it cool, as if it were any of our makeup sessions.”

“You really think that will work?”

“Are you kidding? I know it will work. You do you and everything will be fine.”

I nodded. “You’re right. I can do this.”

Lily grinned and gave me a thumbs-up. “Now get going. I’ll come get you for lunch after you’re done.”

She hung up before I could reply. The usual gremlins that ate at my stomach had been replaced by butterflies tickling at the edges. Funny enough, I still wanted to throw up.

I took a deep breath and told myself, “I can do this.”

I strode back into Arthur’s office with as much confidence as I could muster. Arthur now stood by the table, surrounded by my supplies and clothing options.

“Well, Arthur,” I began, “what will it be today? Something bold? Or something more natural?”

He seemed a little taken aback but quickly recovered. “Let’s go easy on you and start with something tame.”

• * *

Honestly, I had been tempted to paint Arthur like David Bowie, but I honored his request and kept the makeup natural. I made certain to show him everything that I was going to use on him. If he made a face—he never said if something bothered him, but he made it known—then I would either give him options or let him know why my decision was the best one.

This approach seemed to please him. I asked him a lot of questions about his favorite colors, favorite clothing styles, favorite trends, and tried to incorporate what seemed appropriate into his look.

Of course, a lot of what he said didn’t actually help with the styling. That man could really talk once you got him going, especially about music and his dogs, bless his heart. But I let him talk, considering it seemed to put him in a better mood.

By the time we were done, his face glowed with the angular beauty his fans adored him for. His short beard was well trimmed, his eyebrows curved upward without a single hair out of line, his complexion had been evened out without looking caked-on, and his brilliant blue eyes popped thanks to an accent of eyeliner. His full light brown hair made for a gorgeous messy quiff.

For the clothing, I had selected a burgundy V-neck that hugged his form, black skinny jeans to show off his tight ass, and black-and-white Nike Dunk Highs that were all the rage. The finishing touch was a black-and-white checkered infinity scarf.

Arthur admired himself in the mirror before he turned to me.

“Ms. Leonard,” he began.

My heart skipped a beat at him using my surname instead of my first name.

“You have been the most understanding, respectful stylist I have had in a long time. You’re in.”

• * *

Lily was waiting for me when I left Arthur’s office.

“Well?” she asked.

“I got the job.”

She squealed and leapt at me. Her hug nearly crushed my ribs.

“I knew it! I knew it! I knew you could do it!”

I laughed and pried myself out of her death grip.

“Yes, you did. I’ve always had fun styling your hair for parties, but I never thought that I could make a living out of it.”

Lily linked our arms together and led me toward the elevator.

“And now you are. See what a little motivation can get you?”

We continued our chat alone in the elevator. As soon as we stepped out on the first floor, I saw an unexpected face surrounded by a sea of people: Barnett.

“What’s Barnett doing here?” I asked Lily.

“Oh, he owns the building,” Lily said nonchalantly.

“He what?”

“And all the companies in it.”

How did I not know that?

“Anything else about Barnett and this day that I need to know?”

“You want to go say hi to him?”

I glared at her. She was keeping something from me, and I would find out what it was. For now, though, I wouldn’t let it ruin an otherwise perfect day.

I looked back at Barnett. A part of me did want to say hi to him, or to at least have him look up and acknowledge me, but I could see all the people he was surrounded by. Clearly, he was too busy to deal with someone like me.

“No, let’s just go to lunch.”

• * *

I spent the morning of my first official day of work cussing, a lot. I had moved into a new apartment, and the pipe of the apartment above me burst, flooding my entire apartment. I had to skip breakfast and spend my entire getting ready time dealing with the landlord, saving what I could from the water, and looking for a dry outfit for work.

I arrived at Arthur’s office an hour late. I felt lucky to make it there that early, but I knew that this would not be good. I had called Arthur to let him know what was going on, but I still wasn’t sure if I had a job as I walked through the door.

The stern expression on Arthur’s face and the pity on Gina’s were not reassuring.

“Anna, when did I ask you to be here?” Arthur said.

“Eight o’clock.”

“And what time is it now?”

“Nine.”

“Why, pray tell, are you an hour late?”

“Like I said on my voicemail, a pipe burst and flooded my apartment.”

“But no one’s injured? You were able to get here without any problems?”

“Yes, and yes.”

“So, why exactly did you decide to waste my time by making me wait?”

“I thought that if I called first—”

“There are few excuses that I will accept for you being late or not showing up.” Arthur raised his fingers as he began to count the excuses off. “Traffic jams UP TO A POINT, broken limbs, severe illness, life-or-death situations for a loved one, and life-or-death situations for you.”

He lowered his hand and stepped up to me so that he towered over me.

“Otherwise, you better have your butt here ready to work at eight o’clock every morning, rain or shine, even on your worst days. Do you understand?”

My head drooped. I nodded.

“Good. Let’s get to work. We’re behind schedule as it is.”

He sat down in a nearby chair, and I followed closely behind him. My stomach growled, but I ignored the gremlins gnawing at my stomach lining to remain focused on the task at hand.

I spotted Arthur watching me from the corner of his eye.

“Gina, get Anna here a green tea.” He smiled at me, one of the few genuine smiles I had seen from him since we had met. “I don’t want to hear her stomach in my ear all morning.”

I allowed myself a chuckle.

“Thank you, Arthur.”

• * *

By the end of the session, Arthur sported a pompadour, a white collared shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, a gray tweed vest, blue jeans, and black dress shoes. Eyeliner once more accented those big blue eyes, and a dab of light pink gloss plumped up his lips. He looked gorgeous.

He looked…familiar. Like Charlie. Or like how I would have imagined Charlie, had he gotten the chance to grow up.

The same big blue eyes that stared at me from Arthur’s face.

I stood there, speechless, but wouldn’t let my tears fall. I had already cried enough lately. I wouldn’t let myself cry over something like this.

Arthur, upon seeing my reaction, stood a little straighter and adjusted his vest. He soaked in his image in the floor-length mirror and gave me another of his genuine smiles.

“Great job, little fan girl,” he said before heading toward the door.

I wasn’t quite sure what he meant by “little fan girl,” but it sounded endearing. I was flattered to have a nickname already. Maybe it wasn’t such a bad first day after all.

I don't know why, but I really want to share the good news of finding a job with Barnett at this moment.

The image of him tall and handsome in a black suit swirled in my mind. When I think of him, I seem to smell his jacket ...... which makes me gulp.

When would the next meeting be? What time will he show up?

I can't help but look forward to it.